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Archives for December 2006

Bodypump with kids

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This afternoon I was asked to take a pump class with 16yo school kids. I was apprehensive at first, cuz it’s a bit of a drive and I was weighing up whether it was financially worth my while. In the end I agreed.

I ended up with just boys as I think the girls opted to do RPM instead. The boys surprised me, they were all very well behaved and they quite enjoyed the class except they said my music taste was crap. I laughed and said it wasn’t my choice and the music is selected for people worldwide.

They managed quite well with the weights and I encouraged them to keep it light. The maximum any of them lifted was 10kg, which surprised me, but then I guess I’m not sure how much a 16yo can lift. But they weren’t really feeling it at all, which is ok, cuz they were still getting used to the techniques.

When we got the the lunge track though, somehow it came up about how much I was lifting. I explained to them that I can lift a lot more, but I was lifting the same as them for their benefit. They didn’t believe me….

So I got challenged, and I can’t help it, when I get challenged I have to meet the challenge head on. So for their benefit, I put 20kg on the bar for lunges (it was BP60 which I wouldn’t normally do that much for lunges, but cuz I’d lifted light for the rest of the class it was easily doable).

I can’t believe I was showing off to 16 yo’s :shock:

BODY ATTACK 55

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BODYATTACK 55It’s the third time now I’ve shadowed this new release, and I FINALLY got the gallop square. I practised it at home, but when I got on stage I’d just get all messed up………grrr. I haven’t had time to actually learn the choreography for this release, since I’ve been so busy with my other three programs, and since I don’t have a permanent class it doesn’t matter anyway.

I think I’m loving most of this release. People say it’s hard, but I’m not sure because attack in general is getting easier for me now that I’m shadowing and pushing the boundaries of my fitness levels.

The warmup is ok, seems a bit messy and the song is kinda ok. So I LIKE this song, but not as good as BA54.

SOS just ROCKS! Even that dreaded gallop square. Of course it’s easy to do as a participant, but shadowing it on stage has been a challenge, let alone teaching it! Fun all the same 😛

The next 2 tracks definately get you into the “zone”. OK songs, but you’re working that hard you don’t really care about the music anyway.

2 point superman is a great core conditioner. I love the move, except I’m slightly starting to hate it now only cuz we also have planks in BC, BP and BB. It’s been just a bit TOO much, but probably ok for the average participant.

Running track is an awesome new innovation. Not something you could put in every release, but a great idea for a refreshing change. Love the music for this track too. The only problem that occurs here is I’m usually a leader, and it gets WAAAAY too competitive, meaning I’m stuffed before we’re even half way through the track.

Like the moves in the agility track, but song is a bit “meh”. I feel kinda neutral about this one.

Like the sun – didn’t like this version initially after the song was in pump, but it’s grown on me. Not too sure if I like the arm lines in this one………..but then I wonder if the fact that I don’t like them is cuz it’s just hard? :twisted:

Awesome peak track! Just awesome. The real thing oh yeah!

Like the abs/conditioning track……..nothing to comment on there, and the cooldown, well…….not my type of song but it’s ok.

All in all a fab release msn_thumbs_up.gif

I’ll be damned

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ok, I’ve been teaching a combat class at a different Zest location for a couple of months now. Most of my classes are at Modbury, but I’ve started doing this class at Burnside, because while it’s a bit further for me to drive, I’m going to need to move house in the future so I’m keeping my options open. Anyways, the lady that takes the pump class after my combat is pretty cool, and I get along well with her.

Because the class prior to mine always runs late, that always makes my combat class 5 mins late aswell, so when this instructor sets up for pump, I often help her by grabbing her weights for her and help her set up.

Now today, I agreed to do a fill in at Mitcham Zest, which is a bit further away again. Despite being a bit of a drive I did it anyway………still all about keeping options open. Anyways, I got a call from the state manager of Zest regarding this class, and while I was talking to her she said “well I’ll see you I’m doing the class after you”, and I replied “ah ok, I don’t think I’ve met you before have I?” and she said “yeah you have, I teach the pump after you on Fridays!”

The penny suddenly dropped, and I had NO IDEA that SHE was the state manager! haha. All this time I thought the state manager was some formidible scary GOD, and she was disguised as a pump instructor that I’ve been helping out setting her up prior to her pump class……haha

Contact Lenses are happening!

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Well I haven’t updated about my contact lenses since my first dismal attempt.

The second session I had with the optomotrist was much more successful than the first. I was actually able to get them out on my own this time, 3 times each eye. Major improvement, and no passing out. Lots of people told me that when you try out contact lenses you just gotta persist through the first little bit………and they were so RIGHT!

By the third session I was putting them in on my own aswell, and the fourth session he was confident I could do it on my own without supervision and gave me instructions on how to store, clean, use them etc. Back when I had the first session I would have been surprised to have been able to do it within 4 sessions, so hey, I’ve come a long way!

I’ve been wearing them just a few hours each day, gradually increasing the wearing period as I get used to them. But I’ve been finding that after 2-3 hours they just really drive me nuts, and they’re so uncomfortable I want them out. So I went back to the optometrist on Friday, and he’s given me different ones to try, and they already feel MUCH better. They don’t feel quite so harsh on my eyes. Up to wearing them about 6-7 hours a day. I have to say, now that I’m getting used to them, I’m definately attached to them. I like being able to see, and now I feel sad when I have to take them out.

The weird thing is doing my classes now. I can see everyone sooooo CLEARLY. I can also see very clearly when people look at me, which is quite scary. Feel like I’m a newbie instructor again…….haha, well not quite, but it is kinda different in a random kinda way.

The only other hassle I have with them at the moment, is I’m trialling 2 different types of lenses, 1 in each eye. The one I have in my left eye is a really soft mushy floppy one, and I have a hell of a time getting it in and out. This morning before my class I was trying to get it in, and it didn’t feel right. So I tried to adjust it (there’s a way to do it) and make it feel better. It didn’t, it felt worse. So I figured I’d try and take it out and put it back in again (in case I had it round the wrong way. They’re bastards to tell which way is the right way around!). But then I couldn’t get it out, I was poking around in my eye, and it wasn’t happening. Hmmmm. So looking in the mirror, I wasn’t sure if it was in anymore…..so I waltz off to find a clock, cover my other eye to see if clock is blurry. Clock is blurry……so therefore the contact lense musn’t be in my eye. Right, so where is it? I look in the basin to see if I can find it……can’t see it anywhere. Eye still feels uncomfortable, so FEELS like lense is in there somewhere, but I can’t SEE it.

I ended up finding it all folded in half under my eyelid. Wow, what a learning curve these contact lenses are……gah

BODYCOMBAT 30

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BODYCOMBAT 30 Taught this one in it’s entirety this morning, excluding the last 2 tracks since I haven’t learnt them yet (I threw the girl shadowing me into the deep end and got her to do these 2 tracks).
Standout tracks to me are 1, 4, 6 and 8.

I had a very unique experience though when I did this one this morning. I had 3 people in the class who’d just done their combat training. One was shadowing me, the other 2 were on the floor. It brought back memories of the days 3 years ago when I was fresh faced from my combat training, and you feel so proud and put 110% and know all the chorrey better than the instructor etc. And here’s me 3 years later, feeling a LOT more chilled out about it all with 3 people in my class who knew it all better than me. ohhhh…….it’s punishment………what goes around comes around 😛

Anyway, warmup begins with Scooter……..anything Scooter is awesome 😉
Love the ascending elbows combo.
First combat track is an oldie track brought back. I didn’t really do BC11, so I don’t know the old chorrey for it, but there’s lots happening in this track. I like this track, but it’s not a fav.

Track 3 is simple and gets your heartrate up. Good chorrey, good song.

Track 4. WOW! Amadeus. Evasive Side Kick. Hard work. Wicked. Say no more… 😉

Split room track this is another “good” track that does nothing special for me. I do love the staggered speedballs with the jump into the centre each time.

Recovery is awesome awesome awesome! The double punch/palm block combo is awesome to teach. So much power, so much attitude. Almost takes the highlight away from the Muay Thai track 😛

Muay thai is definately a different feel, but this is a GOOD thing. There’s been a lot of hard core muay thai’s, so a different energy and different power brings back the “control” into the fury of muay thai. Initially I wasn’t sure about this track, but it’s definately grown on me now!

Last power track rocks! Love this song in both combat and attack, both tracks rock! Chorrey works well here too, lots of opportunities for expression in the music.

Last 2 tracks I don’t know well yet, but track 9 is quite a good track. The music in this one definately reminds me of my younger days. The cooldown……….well………..hmmm…………opera…………..eeeeuccccch

All in all an AWESOME release! I’m gonna love teaching it the next few weeks.